


Champion Material

by HanaHimus



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: if...
Genre: Conversations, Gen, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-02 01:16:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17878301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaHimus/pseuds/HanaHimus
Summary: Akira had no interest in boxing, the janitor thought he could be a champion.





	Champion Material

**Author's Note:**

> Thinking about... The janitor and what he says to Akira near the start of his route...... Love this Okamoto recolor

Akira was staring down at some other punk who’d tried to give him shit when Karukozaka’s janitor approached him. He’d been expecting a nagging or to be dragged to the principal or something… The staff around the school never did seem to take too kindly to delinquents like him, after all.

He prepared himself to roll his eyes and block out almost every word said and then…

“You’ve got quite the arm on you!” The janitor’s voice was excited as he grinned up at Akira. “I could make you a champion!”

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” Akira frowned at him. “You make no sense, old man…”

The janitor returned the frown. “Well, if you were to take up boxing and I were to coach you, we’d be able to go places! Great places!”

Akira shook his head. “That makes no sense... I don’t have any interest in boxing.”

“Well, you might not now, but that could always change!” The old man stepped towards Akira, grabbing his hands in his. “Think about it! All the fame you could ask for, a lot of money to keep you afloat, adoring fans screaming your name…”

Akira pulled away, making a face. “Outside of the money, I don’t want any of that…”

“Oh come on, Akira…” The janitor was not ready to give up. “It’ll keep you in shape, too! Not to mention it’ll be a release for all that violence you have.”

“I have a violent outlet already.”

“This new one would be safer! You can beat the shit out of people to your heart’s content without risking getting stabbed or something!”

“I like the risk, thanks.” Akira turned on his heel. “Fine someone else to try and make a boxing champion!”

“At least think about it!” The janitor called after him, and he didn’t say anything in reply. He had no interest in this and that wasn’t gonna change.

 

\--

Akira led Tamaki to the Janitor’s room with a plan of getting out of this hell hole as soon as possible. The manhole was the best idea he could think of to try and get out of there, anyway, and he was sure the janitor would open it for them.

The old man had taken a shine to Akira, if only because he thought he could get him to do something in the future. It wouldn’t happen, but Akira could at least use it to his advantage.

“Oh, its you, Akira! Looks like the shit’s really hit the fan.” The janitor perked up as soon as Akira and Tamaki entered the room. “Ain’t no use in resisting. Come in, have a cup of tea and relax a bit.”

Tamaki blinked. “Oh, thank you, but--”

“...By the way, Akira, have you thought about our little talk?” He ignored the girl, cutting her off. “About taking up boxing? You’re totally champion material! Let’s shoot for the top!”

Tamaki looked at him curiously and he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. “...Idiot, no way…”

The janitor faltered a bit. “...Oh… By the way, what do you need?”

“...I want to leave the school. Open the manhole, old man…” No reason to beat around the bush after shooting him down so harshly. 

“You want to leave the school? Sure thing, I can’t say no to you…” He gave Akira a concerned look. “But will you be okay? Normally it leads to outside but… Be careful, now!”

Akira stepped around the man as he opened the way out, Tamaki following after him. “...Let’s go. If we stick around here things will get ugly.”

They entered the manhole and soon enough, Akira almost wished they stuck around for some tea and more consideration on that boxing thing…

\--

Akira tried to not miss the human world too much. He’d never be able to go back, so thinking about it would just lead to some pretty bad heartache… But sometimes it was hard not to think about it. The people he left behind without a second thought after combining with Amon…

Funnily enough, that old janitor was almost always the one to come to mind if it wasn’t Tamaki. He’d pushed Akira about that boxing thing quite a bit and let him get away with so much bullshit because of it… It made him almost wish he’d said something nicer the last time he’d seen him.

...How was the old man anyway, he wondered? Was he even still alive?

“Maybe I should take up boxing…” He was mostly musing to himself, but Hathor had apparently heard him.

“Boxing? Is that something humans do, Amon?”

“Huh?” He looked at her and nodded. “Yeah. It’s a sport where humans beat the shit out of each other. Back when I wasn’t Amon on top of Akira a guy wanted me to pick it up…”

“Is that so?” She sat next to him, head tilted to the side. “Did you want to do it? Before you ended up here, I mean.”

“No, I didn’t but… I dunno, I keep thinking about the old man.” He sighed, staring at the still somewhat human-looking hand he had. “I thought taking it up might make me stop thinking about him, but these claws might get in the way…”

“The claws wouldn’t help?”

“There’s gloves for boxing… I don’t know if my hands could fit in there with these damn claws.” He grimaced. “Maybe it was a dumb idea, anyway. I have better things to focus on now.”

He stood up, ignoring Hathor’s worried call after him. Sometimes it was tough having Akira’s memories so upfront in his mind… It was tough missing a world he had no reason to miss.


End file.
